Attempting to make it as a writer

Posts tagged ‘intimidate’

Gosh! I have never really thought of myself as mixing in the low life world of gangs and criminals. In fact I am very naïve in many ways, probably not a good place to come from as a writer. I may well have been wrong. Part of the reason for writing the blog this week is an insurance policy in case my home is torched, or my car brakes slashed. I actually do feel a very genuine threat to myself and my family from completely out of the blue.

As you all know I have spent time, money and effort setting up my new business for which things are appearing to go well and I have not only gained a lot of business, I also appear to have made a lot of friends who are supporting me in this venture. I am learning about networking and mixing with wide and varied groups of business people all keen to get their company into the spotlight.

My remit and ethos is very much to the local community and to try and help the people around me survive; particularly during the present financial instability. I have always been drawn to helping in and around the local community and this role defines my character well. There is also an element of getting my writing name out there and I am hoping that Tiggy will be allowed to start writing in the magazine soon.

So it came as a bolt out of the blue when my neighbour turned up at his house last evening with his car plastered in cheap, tacky paper flyers advertising a website with my business name on it.

The history to this, as far as I am aware is when I brought my car back having had the name of the business emblazoned over it. Our neighbour collared Sexy Sporty Dad and asked him what I was doing. With pride ringing in his voice and pleasure glowing from each word he explained in detail my new business and how it would help the businesses of our town. A perfectly friendly exchange between two adults: or so we thought.

Sexy Sporty Dad asked him last night what he was doing; as I sobbed uncontrollably in the kitchen wondering what was going on.

The neighbour informed him that he had bought all the websites so that I could not register my company and this was ‘Pay Back’.

Pay back for what asked Sexy Sporty Dad, “there will be consequences”.

That was that!

All night long I have been lying in bed contemplating what I did to him that was so bad I caused him to act so vengefully. Knowing snippets of his claimed history I also kept getting up to check that he had not left the house to torch us as we slept in our beds.

Today has revealed new insights into the irrational behaviour of this deranged neighbour. Apparently he registered the websites on the day after he saw my car long before he spoke to Sexy Sporty Dad. He has spent the last two days going into all the businesses in town telling them he is launching this website and they need not pay for advertising. He has even got hold of one of my own flyers and tried to reword my slogan.

Having calmed down from the initial shock I can see that it could work in my favour, as it will get my message out to the locality. You pay a fortune for that kind of publicity! I also feel I have established a good and honest reputation amongst the local people. But I do hope I have done enough.

My writing has been very scarce at the moment, struggling to find inspiration particularly as this month’s homework is to write about an evil person. I cannot get into the brain or feel that kind of venom to be able to write on this topic. However having been introduced to the depth of depravity some people will go to hurt someone else, I may now have found the answer. Tonight when I am lying awake trying to fathom out why someone would want to destroy me so vehemently, I need to write down my thoughts and emotions during those dark and depressing night hours.

To reassure you all; that having taken advice we have informed the police we are scared for the safety of ourselves and particularly our children. However this blog may act as an additional insurance if the unspeakable happens.

Trying to work out what is going on; I have lurched from childish prank, to complete insanity, stopping at most places in between. I cannot understand why he is so against my business, it will not affect him in any way. Producing a flyer and waving it in my face as a joke, although not funny I could perhaps understand. He has gone to trouble to actually produce these flyers and deliver them to the shops and businesses of the town. Some of whom have contacted me to ask if he was connected to me.

If I could find a reason it might help. I have, I admit, continually asked him not to spray his toxic paints when the children or I am around, a request he refuses to comply with. (See July 2011 blog – Neighbourly unease). I would not have thought this would warrant such aggressive behaviour.

We have in the past offered him friendship, meals, help and up until this week all very amicably or so we believed. Sexy Sporty Dad and the police believe the hatred and threat is directed at me but I worry for those around me because I do not know the scope of his savagery to bring me down.

I hope to be here next week full of news and snippets of my life.

One of the questions bothering me about my novel “Memories” was how a perfectly respectable family can suddenly find themselves immersed in something so out of their control. Now I know real life can happen like that through no-one’s fault. “Memories” is about an everyday family like you or me and their tale is even more believable than my neighbour losing the plot.